During November and December of 1981, surface‐layer eddy fluxes of small atmospheric ions were measured at the Amundsen‐Scott South Pole Station. This was done in the electrode layer at a height of 2.5 m by means of the eddy correlation method. The mean eddy fluxes of positive and negative ions were found to be approximately 40 and 440 cm−2s−1respectively, and the fluxes were always found to be toward the ground. The large difference between the two is attributed to the electrode effect, which is responsible for a large gradient in the negative ion concen